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View synonyms for
irritate
[ ir-i-teyt ]
verb (used with object)
irritated, irritating.
- to excite to impatience or anger; annoy.
Synonyms: , , , , , , , , , ,
- Physiology, Biology. to excite (a living system) to some characteristic action or function.
- Pathology. to bring (a body part) to an abnormally excited or sensitive condition.
verb (used without object)
irritated, irritating.
- to cause irritation or become irritated.
irritate
/ ˈɪɪˌٱɪ /
verb
- to annoy or anger (someone)
- tr biology to stimulate (an organism or part) to respond in a characteristic manner
- tr pathol to cause (a bodily organ or part) to become excessively stimulated, resulting in inflammation, tenderness, etc
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Derived Forms
- ˈˌٲٴǰ, noun
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Other Word Forms
- ۾·ٲtǰ noun
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Word History and Origins
Origin of irritate1
1525–35; < Latin īٳܲ, past participle of ī to arouse to anger, excite, aggravate, equivalent to - v. stem + -tus past participle suffix
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Word History and Origins
Origin of irritate1
C16: from Latin ī to provoke, exasperate
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Synonym Study
Irritate, exasperate, provoke mean to annoy or stir to anger. To irritate is to excite to impatience or angry feeling, often of no great depth or duration: to irritate by refusing to explain an action. To exasperate is to irritate to a point where self-control is threatened or lost: to exasperate by continual delays and excuses. To provoke is to stir to a sudden, strong feeling of resentful anger as by unwarrantable acts or wanton annoyance: to tease and provoke an animal until it attacks.
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Example Sentences
Examples have not been reviewed.
Its inventor built the TPV to irritate his wife and ended up scrambling her brain, Adams wrote.
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His comments irritated Rome and had to be toned down later by a French government spokesperson.
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Rolling Stone reports that virtually everyone in the White House finds him irritating, some even questioning if he's high.
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For those who don't like Meghan, the series is likely to irritate.
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We have all encountered the mildly irritating American friend who returns from a few weeks in Europe — maybe as much as an entire semester! — with a “global perspective.”
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